The Holland Festival is The Netherland's oldest and largest performing arts festival, and takes place every June in Amsterdam. It comprises theater, music, opera and modern dance. In recent years, multimedia, visual arts and film were added to the festival roster. The Festival was founded in 1947 and features some of the world's top artists and performers, as well as lesser-known performers. Notable world premieres include the definitive version of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem and Karlheinz Stockhausen's Helikopter-Streichquartett. The festival introduced Maria Callas in Holland, but was also the first to successfully set up a large symphonic tribute to Frank Zappa with "200 motels-the suite" in 2000 (after failed attempts to have Zappa perform himself in the festival in 1981). Since 2005, the festival includes off-series called EarFuel, EyeFuel and MindFuel.
Performances take place in Amsterdam venues such as the city theatre, the opera, the Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw concert halls and the Westergas factory site. Each edition is loosely themed, and the program features both contemporary work and classical pieces presented with a modern edge. Holland Festival's current Artistic Director Pierre Audi is working closely with artistic coordinator Lieven Bertels and the festival team to ensure a cutting edge festival each edition.
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Last updated on Wednesday March 26, 2008 at 19:52:42 PDT (GMT -0700)
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